Oxygen is essential for humans. Oxygen is an active element which changes everything. By removing oxygen from the environment of the package, there will be no oxidation. It is quite simple, if there is no oxygen, there will be no oxidation or no mold growth.

Metallic Iron usually experiences rust due to the oxygen in air. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical found this simple and natural mechanism is good for Food preservation by creating an oxygen free environment. This discovery became a Mitsubishi Gas Chemical patent and Ageless was developed and commercialized in 1977. This was the first oxygen absorber and remains the World’s Top brand today. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical is proud that Ageless is the most reliable and highest quality oxygen absorber available today.

Z100 size is for pouches or containers quart to ½ gallon.

Z300 size is for gallon size pouches or containers #10 can or gallon.

Z500 size is for larger pouches or containers #10 or gallon or larger. 2 or 3 for a 5 or 6 gal container

You can use multiples of Z500 for larger containers 3 – 7 gallons.

Take out the absorbers you are going to use (within 2-4 hours
or less) – spread them out on a table or tray – reseal or pack the
remaining absorbers in the master bag (if you have an impulse
sealer or other appropriate sealer), or another high barrier film
pouch (like a food saver), or container (without the proper pouch
sealer, many people use an appropriate size canning jar with an air
tight lid – packed tight) – DO NOT USE ZIP LOCK BAGS.

Use the absorbers you have within 6 months to 1 year.

Be aware of the gas barrier transmission rates of the
containers you are using – metal and glass have a zero transmission
rate for both vapor and gas. The type of material you use
will determine how long it retains an oxygen free atmosphere. The seal must be air tight.

For complete instructions and information, it is highly recommended that you read the entire article linked below at Learn To Prepare.

Advantages of an “Ageless” oxygen absorber (and other quality absorbers)

Reduces oxygen in an airtight container down to 0.1% or less to prolong a product’s shelf life.

It prevents oxidation and mold, bacteria, microorganisms, insect
infestation and the like, which thrive in an oxygen-rich packaging
environment.

Done properly, it is simple to use.

Keeps food products from losing their freshness, color, taste,
flavor, wholesome goodness, and important nutritional value when exposed
to oxygen.

Conventional preservatives, antioxidants, gas flushing, and vacuum
packing often are not effective because they do not completely eliminate
oxygen.

Conventional and artificial preservatives may be undesirable to many and may produce adverse health affects.

The oxygen absorber is safe to use. They have been tested and found
to be practically non-toxic. The LD50 Value of the contents is safer
than salt.

The major component of “Ageless” is powdered iron oxide, an odorless
material that in its sachet has no effect on the foods in the
container.

The sachet can be discarded through ordinary disposal methods, with no special treatment required.

Ageless Oxygen Absorbers Z300 are recommended for 1 gal size containers or larger - cans, jars and foil pouches. Loosely or tightly packed. It is recommended to leave a 1/2 inch to 1 inch space at the top of a container.

Using & About Oxygen Absorbers

By
Denis Korn – who introduced the use of oxygen absorbers into the
emergency food and outdoor recreational foods industries in the early
1990’s while owner of AlpineAire Foods.

Summary of key points in using an Ageless® oxygen absorber – from this article.

Z100 size is for pouches or containers quart to ½ gallon.

Z300 size is for gallon size pouches or containers #10 can or gallon.

Z500 size is for larger pouches or containers #10 or gallon.

You can use multiples of Z500 for larger containers 3 – 7 gallons.

Take out the absorbers you are going to use (within 2-4 hours
or less) – spread them out on a table or tray – reseal or pack the
remaining absorbers in the master bag (if you have an impulse
sealer or other appropriate sealer), or another high barrier film
pouch (like a food saver), or container (without the proper pouch
sealer, many people use an appropriate size canning jar with an air
tight lid – packed tight) – DO NOT USE ZIP LOCK BAGS.

Use the absorbers you have within 6 months to 1 year.

Be aware of the gas barrier transmission rates of the
containers you are using – metal and glass have a zero transmission
rate for both vapor and gas. The type of material you use
will determine how long it retains an oxygen free atmosphere. The seal must be air tight.

For complete instructions and information, it is highly recommended that you read the entire article below.

I want to start this article by letting those reading it know that
after significant research, it was I who introduced the use of oxygen
absorbers into the emergency food and outdoor recreational foods
industries in the early 1990’s while owner of AlpineAire Foods. I did
it because it was an excellent and very effective technology, developed
in Japan, to insure a very low residual oxygen level in appropriate
containers, and it was very easy and relatively inexpensive to use.

At that time the goal to achieve for the canning of shelf-stable
dried foods was a residual oxygen level of 2% or below. This was the
level required by military specifications for long term foods.
Oxidation and an atmosphere inhibiting microbial growth were
significantly reduced at these low levels. The military specified the
#10 can for their long term storage of dried products. By utilizing the
appropriate size oxygen absorber, the residual oxygen levels could be
reduced to 0.1% or less – a significant drop in oxygen levels.

The premier manufacturer of oxygen absorbers, and the one I use, is
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. which produces the “Ageless” brand
oxygen absorber. While there are numerous types of absorbers for
varied packaging conditions, the appropriate “Ageless” absorber for use
with dried foods is type Z.

It is important to note that oxygen absorber sachets were designed to
be used by industrial manufacturers and packers of food products with
the necessary expertise in working with the absorbers. While simple to
use, if not handled properly or sized correctly you have wasted your
time and money and have not achieved the expected outcome. I have seen
and heard of numerous situations where individuals have inappropriately
utilized oxygen absorbers and they will unfortunately not accomplish the
results anticipated. If you are going to use these devices, I
recommend following the instructions in this article and talk to those
who are educated in their proper use.

Why use an oxygen absorber?

There are essentially two reasons one would use an oxygen absorber –
the prevention of oxidation, and the prevention of food damage by
infestation – insects, mold, bacteria. This of course helps to increase
the shelf life of most foods one chooses for food storage. Infestation
is addressed further on in this article.

Oxidation is responsible for the deterioration of foods including the
loss of flavor and taste, discoloration, deterioration and rancidity of
fats and oils, texture change, and nutritional loss. Some foods are
more susceptible to oxidation deterioration than others. It is
important to know how susceptible the foods you
are storing are to oxidation, because as you will see the type of
container you store your foods in may at some point no longer be an
adequate oxygen barrier. Unfortunately the issue of keeping foods in an
oxygen free environment is not easily understood by the do-it-yourself
preparedness planner. There is so much misinformation, speculation,
confusion, and factual error that the average planner is at a
disadvantage in learning the proper techniques. Hopefully this article
and others written by Denis Korn, and careful research by the
preparedness planner of trustworthy sources, will produce reliable
results.

Determining the size of oxygen absorber

Depending upon the container size and the void area (the area that is
the space between the food item) in that container, a number of
different sized Ageless sachets are available from size 20 to 2000.
IMPORTANT: Ageless assigns their sizes with numbers that correspond to
the oxygen “absorption capacity”
in milliliters (ml) – this is the actual amount of oxygen that can be
absorbed by the sachet. Other companies may designate their sizes by
the “equivalent air volume”
in milliliters – this is the total air volume you have in the void area
that includes oxygen, nitrogen, and a very small amount of other
gases. These are two different figures that it is important for you to
know. For your information – 1 gallon equals 3,785.4 cubic
centimeters. One cubic centimeter (cc) equals one milliliter (ml).

After you ascertain the void area of your container you will have determined the equivalent air volume. Since oxygen is approximately 20% of the normal air volume, divide the “equivalent air volume” by 5 and you get the “absorption capacity” of each size sachet. An Ageless Z100 will absorb 100 ml of oxygen which is contained in 500ml of air volume.

Obviously a food item that has a large volume or irregular size will
produce a larger void in a container – dried mushrooms, large beans, and
certain dried vegetables would be an example of this. The void in a
container of powders, flours, small grains, and beans would be less.

In general, camping food pouches would use a Z30 or Z50 – a #10 can a
Z300 or Z500 – and a 5 to 6 gallon bucket a Z1000 or Z2000 depending on
the size of the food products and the void area.

Because only oxygen is absorbed there will of course still be in the
container an approximately 80% inert nitrogen atmosphere. This will
cause a partial vacuum effect meaning that pouches will shrink slightly
and become more compact, and in buckets there will be concave effect –
top and sides will move slightly inward.

Advantages of an “Ageless” oxygen absorber (and other quality absorbers)

Reduces oxygen in an airtight container down to 0.1% or less to prolong a product’s shelf life.

It prevents oxidation and mold, bacteria, microorganisms, insect
infestation and the like, which thrive in an oxygen-rich packaging
environment.

Done properly, it is simple to use.

Keeps food products from losing their freshness, color, taste,
flavor, wholesome goodness, and important nutritional value when exposed
to oxygen.

Conventional preservatives, antioxidants, gas flushing, and vacuum
packing often are not effective because they do not completely eliminate
oxygen.

Conventional and artificial preservatives may be undesirable to many and may produce adverse health affects.

The oxygen absorber is safe to use. They have been tested and found
to be practically non-toxic. The LD50 Value of the contents is safer
than salt.

The major component of “Ageless” is powdered iron oxide, an odorless
material that in its sachet has no effect on the foods in the
container.

The sachet can be discarded through ordinary disposal methods, with no special treatment required.

Selection of a packaging container for use with an oxygen absorber

Of all the issues relating to the use of oxygen absorbers this is the
most confusing and misrepresented among the do-it-yourself group.
Remember absorbers were designed with specific instructions for use by
manufacturers and commercial packers.

Points to consider:

Oxygen absorbers were designed to work when inserted into cans,
bottles, and film that offer a variety of airtight characteristics.

When using cans, make sure there is no leakage along seams. While
this container is not as practical to use for the do-it-yourself group,
it is without a doubt the most reliable.

Glass bottles should have a tight seal between the bottle and closure.

Film pouches must be designed to have a negative to very low oxygen permeability.

Films have both an oxygen and vapor permeability rating.

The permeability or rate at which oxygen is transmitted through a
film or material determines the length of time the container will remain
oxygen free.

The permeability of metal and glass is zero. It is the seams and closures that determine any leakage.

The permeability of aluminum foil is zero.

There are hundreds of combinations of various films for pouches. No
single barrier material is adequate for a pouch; it requires a
combination of barrier materials to be laminated together.

Film materials with the proper barrier characteristics must be
laminated together to create a pouch that will have a low permeability
for an oxygen absorber to work properly.

A pouch with an aluminum foil barrier as one of the layers is the best.

Pouches with evaporated or coated aluminum are not as good as solid foil.

While there are various plastic and nylon barriers that have a low
permeability, they all will eventually allow the transmission of oxygen
and the oxygen levels in the pouches will increase.

The oxygen absorber can only absorb so much oxygen and it too has a limited shelf life.

A general rule of thumb for a non-solid foil, laminated, high barrier pouch is a 1 – 3 year barrier viability life.

Low barrier pouches have a viability of 3 to 6 months depending on
the film material. Think “Mylar” balloons filled with helium.

A laminated pouch with a solid foil barrier is generally between 4 and 7 years.

Here is the issue with pouches

Inadequate or faulty seams and rough handling can cause what is known
as pin holing or seam breakage. The pouch has lost its integrity and
its low permeability rate has been compromised. Excessive folding and
squeezing pouches into buckets, too much handling, too much weight on a
pouch, sharp food products within the pouch poking through, and more,
can contribute to large or even minute holes and tears. Pouches with
oxygen absorbers – for the longest possible shelf life – must be stored
and handled properly.

Also keep in mind, because the container now has an oxygen absorber,
an atmospheric pressure differential has been created (this is the
tendency for the inside pressure to want to be equal to the outside
pressure). This means there will be an extra “pulling effect” on the
seams and closures of the containers to “absorb” the outside
atmosphere. This is another reason for proper handling.

An industry standard for the shelf life of foods packed in a
laminated pouch with a solid foil barrier is generally between 4 and 7
years. It could be longer if the pouch is free of any damage. NOTE:
There are companies that have recently appeared in the market place that
are advertising very long shelf lives for foods packaged in flexible
pouches (and many of these products don’t even have foil barriers) –
this is simply false advertising! They have no reliable evidence to
support these claims.

Plastic buckets and oxygen absorbers

While plastic buckets are much thicker (70 to 90 mil) than plastic
laminated pouches – they are still plastic (polyethylene). Oxygen will
eventually be transmitted through the bucket. Depending upon the
thickness and seam stability of the bucket the general rule would
indicate a 2 to 5 year barrier viability life. This means that in this
period of time the atmosphere in the bucket has equalized with the
atmosphere outside the bucket. Plastic bucket seams are susceptible to
the “pulling effect” mentioned above and can cause oxygen seepage into
the container. Also, depending upon the environment, plastic buckets
will eventually absorb moisture and odors.

TAKE NOTE: Without proper testing and industrial controls – residual
oxygen levels in do-it-yourself packaging are – assumption, speculation,
guessing, and probability! If you have access to equipment that tests
residual oxygen levels in your container you may want to consider some
spot checking.

How to use an oxygen absorber

Using an oxygen absorber is relatively easy. Make sure you are aware
of all the procedures and characteristics of storage, sizing,
containers, handling, and other fine points covered in this article. It
is economical and safe to use oxygen absorbers that offer an option to
creating an oxygen-free environment that helps to improve shelf life.

Simply put your food in a high gas barrier film package, metal can,
or glass bottle; put the appropriate size absorber in the container; and
seal the container properly.

Points to consider:

Depending on the size of absorber used it will take 1 to 4 days to have produced an oxygen free (<0.1%) atmosphere.

Absorbers are packed in master high barrier bags of various
quantities depending on their size. Check the tightness of the vacuum
packed master bag. If you hang the master bag from one end, the packets
should not slip. If they do, do not use that master bag.

After opening the master bag, spread out the needed quantity of
packets. The sachets that are not used should be resealed in a master
bag or discarded if their exposure to air exceeds 4 hours(this
is the manufacturer’s time recommendation – it is advisable to perhaps
keep absorbers exposed to the air no longer than 1 – 2 hours).

Remaining sachets should be resealed in the master bag, or another
high barrier film pouch or container, after pressing out the air. A
well sealed proper size glass container will work.

Do not pile up absorbers in the tray or holding container. This may cause excessive heat build up.

Do not remove and use an absorber one by one leaving the master bag open.

Do not use zip-lock plastic bags or other flimsy containers to store unused absorbers.

Ideally, if you obtain your absorbers while relatively fresh, use them no later than 6 to 12 months after receipt.

Prevention of damage by microorganisms (mold and aerobic [oxygen dependent] bacteria), insects, worms, and their eggs

By producing an oxygen-free (<0.1% for the Ageless absorber)
environment, live organisms can not live and grow and are eradicated.

Oxygen absorbers prevent the growth of microorganisms.

The oxygen-free packaging allows you to prevent both adult insects and their eggs from spoiling and damaging foods.

Testing that utilized the Ageless absorber found that all of the
eggs, larvae, pupae, and grown insect of the Rust-red flour beetle,
Weevil, Adzuki weevil, and Almond moth were killed within 14 days – at
77 degrees (F). The proper container with a zero to very low
permeability rate and no holes or seam damage must be used.

Questions and Answers about the Ageless oxygen absorber from their brochure (may apply to other absorber brands also)

1) Can absorbers be used at low temperature?

A. Lower temperatures slow oxygen absorption rates.
However, since product deterioration usually slows down at low
temperature while activity of microorganisms also slows down – slower
oxygen absorption does not create a problem.

2) Can absorbers be used with vacuum packages?

A. Since the amount of air is already decreased in a
vacuum package, a smaller size absorber can be selected. In the case
of a strong vacuum ratio, place the absorber into a free air-flow
stream, with some distance between the product and packaging film. You
use an absorber even in a vacuum package because not all vacuum packing
can reduce the residual oxygen as low as an absorber can.

3) Can absorbers be used with gas flushing packaging?

A. Absorbers can be used with a nitrogen gas
replacement system. However, this combination will result in a slow
rate of oxygen absorption due to the low initial oxygen concentration;
therefore, select a larger size absorber to compensate for the delay in
oxygen absorption. In addition, gas replacement will tend to result in a
fluctuating replacement rate. This is another reason to use a larger
size packet. Carbon dioxide gas replacement and mixed carbon
dioxide-nitrogen gas replacement are not recommended for use with absorbers, as carbon dioxide will inhibit oxygen absorption.

4) Will the deoxygenation rate be affected by the location in which the absorber is placed in the container?

A. Yes. Generally, an absorber will eliminate
oxygen more quickly when placed directly on the product. If available,
testing will indicate the best location for an absorber.

5) Sometimes absorbers will heat up during production packaging – is this normal?

A. If the master bag containing a self-reacting type
of absorber is left open, or if the individual packets are taken one by
one from the master bag, heat generated from the reactions of the
absorber may accumulate in the bag, causing the bag to feel hot. Always
spread out the packets on a tray to avoid decreased performance. As
stated above, 4 hours is the maximum time a Z type (for dried foods)
Ageless packet should be exposed to the room atmosphere.

6) I use only a small quantity of absorbers at a time. Will
opening and closing the master bag affect the performance of the
absorber?

A. Repeated opening and closing of the master bag is
not desirable, as it will cause the absorber to repeatedly come into
contact with air. We recommend that you divide the packets into small
quantities and place these bags – constructed from a high gas barrier
material – so as to reduce the frequency of contact between the absorber
and the atmosphere.

The information contained in this article is general and should not
take the place of the user’s own application tests. Conditions of use
vary depending on the specific applications of each user. The user is
responsible for the proper calculations and techniques of absorber
application.

It is suggested that you read more here at the article titled Food Storage Packing – Do-it-yourself Facts & Myths.

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